Vancouver Island Discs: Dain

Posted by Spoke Magazine on Friday January 24 2014

Easton/Giro USA’s Brand Manager Dain Zaffke rates New Zealand as his favourite riding islands, but if he was stuck on Vancouver Island he wouldn’t be too worried either… here’s what he’d take with him in the 5 -disc CD case.

The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia

This album has been one of my favourites since it came out in 2000. I can’t say which song in particular is my favourite (maybe “Nietzsche”); it’s just that the entire album just flows so well from song to song. I’m not saying I listen to this every day or anything—I’ll go six months or more without thinking about it—but I’ve had a lot of “favourites” in the past 12 years and I’ve never gotten tired of this one.

The National – Boxer

The more I listen to The National, the more I like them. Boxer is their best album as far as I’m concerned. Good, moody, chilled out—just right for staring at the open seas from my lonely island.

The Buena Vista Social Club

If I’m stuck on an island, I’m going to want to listen to some classic Cuban salsa music. I play this one a lot at dinnertime or when I’m having beers with friends after a ride. It’s great background music and always puts me in a good mood. The documentary about these guys is really cool too.

Chuck Berry – The Definitive Collection

There’s a number of good Chuck Berry albums, but this one has 30 of his best singles. These songs never get old and it’s just incredible how much they inspired modern rock ‘n roll.

This is where it gets tough. It’s a toss-up between TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes;Slayer – South of Heaven (because even if I’m on an island, I’m bound to get pissed off now and then and I’ll want to listen to anger-appropriate music); Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary; and Junior Kimbrough – Most Things Haven’t Worked Out.